Anne Frank's best friend dies at 96: Revealing untold secrets of their friendship

Jacqueline, born to a Jewish father and a French mother who had converted to Judaism, quickly became a close friend to Anne. She later recalled, “Anne was sharp in judging others. She had her judgment ready and said so immediately, and I think that’s why not everyone liked her. For me, Anne was, above all, a dear friend.” Anne, in turn, expressed her admiration in her diary. On June 15, 1942, she wrote, “Jacqueline van Maarsen I only got to know at the Jewish Lyceum and she is now my best friend.”

Tragically, their time together was short-lived. In July 1942, the Frank family went into hiding to escape the Nazis. However, Anne kept her promise to Jacqueline and wrote a heartfelt farewell letter in her diary that September. “I hope we will see each other again soon, but it will probably not be before the end of the war anyway… Your ‘best’ friend Anne,” she wrote, signing off with, “P.S. I hope that until we see each other again, we will always remain ‘best’ friends.”

Jacqueline’s survival was secured when her mother successfully convinced Nazi authorities that their family’s Jewish registration was done without knowledge or consent. While this protected Jacqueline and her immediate family, it could not save her extended family, many of whom perished in Nazi death camps.

After the war, Jacqueline kept her memories of Anne largely private until 1990 when she published “Anne and Jopie,” a book dedicated to her late friend. She went on to publish several more books, including “Your Best Friend Anne,” which won the prestigious Zilveren Griffel award in 2012. Through her writing and school visits, Jacqueline shared intimate memories of Anne, while also serving as a poignant reminder of the dangers of hatred and intolerance.

In her later years, Jacqueline continued her mission to honor Anne's memory. At the age of 90, she returned to Anne’s former home in Merwedeplein, where she commemorated what would have been Anne’s 90th birthday, surrounded by students. This was the same spot where she had attended Anne’s last birthday party before Anne went into hiding.

Until her passing, Jacqueline van Maarsen remained one of the last people to remember Anne Frank not as an icon, but as the vibrant, outspoken teenager who was, in Jacqueline’s words, “sharp in judging others” but, above all else, a beloved and treasured friend.